a Stewart Perry Project

The grand opening of the South Retail Center at University Commons came early on the morning of August 28. The mayors of Knoxville, Knox County and city council members lined up with the big scissors ready to cut the ribbon.

Several donations were made to local charities, then the rush began to inspect this special multi-story tenant space. By noon the store was full and the shopping cart conveyor system seemed to be the talk of the day.

Mean while other smaller retail centers made ready for their openings this week. It seems many were determined to be open for the first weekend of football here in Knoxville. This has been a special project with great team work from all.

The University Commons Mall complex was buzzing this week as the final C.O. was issued to the Northern Retail Center. Landscape, paving and stripping crews worked overnight and through the weekend on final touches. Final preparations were made inside the store, windows were shined and the stage was set for our grand opening.

Dignitaries from the city were on hand for the ribbon cutting, including city of Knoxville’s Mayor, the Mayor of Knox County and city council members. Several local news reporters were also on hand to cover the special event.

Other areas of progress included the smaller retails shops, most of which have their Certificate of Completion. Now build-out contractors have started their work.

On the other end of the project, the store team has taken over the Southern Retail Center, stocking for an end of August grand opening.

It has been a great pleasure to see a year and a half worth of team efforts produce such a special project.

With turnover of the northern retail center scheduled for June 16, paving crews started on Saturday afternoon and paved the main drive at University Commons Way until the wee hours of the morning.

Concrete crews moved forward with sidewalk pours on Sunday morning (Father’s Day) to ensure the space is ready for the large retail center on Monday morning.

Final cleaning crews worked through the week, dusting and polishing, in an effort to turnover a shining product to the client.

Site electrical crews also worked late during the weekend to turn on parking deck and exterior site lighting tall poles. The place was a glow as we completed final testing. Apologies for the power bill.

The north end of the parking deck is stripped and ready to receive fixture crews.

Coolers and freezers have been energized and are holding their required temperatures.

Telephone lines have been installed and are “hot.”

Lower Level Retail Shops:

Work on all retail shops is substantially complete.

Final inspections are being completed on a daily bases with perm. Power is available at all locations as required.

Southern Retail Center:

Terrazzo flooring is complete inside the main building.

Storefront installation is ongoing at the multi-story atrium.

Shelving installation is ongoing.

Coolers and freezers are installed.

Perm power is also available.

Joe Johnson Bridge Ramp:

Bridge work is complete except for minor punch list.

We still have much work to do before opening dates in August – but we see light at the end of the tunnel.

The last few weeks have been special here in Knoxville. Last week, a 550-ton capacity crane was moved onsite for a special lift of the rooftop units at the southern retail center. This process involved over 12 truck loads of crane parts that we assembled onsite. This was followed by 5 more loads of equipment including a generator, refrigeration equipment and HVAC units that were placed on the roof of the adjacent building.

The use of this large crane was required as the back of the mall is inaccessible for heavy equipment. The crane include over 200 feet of boom to reach the rear of the building.

Knoxville, like the rest of the Southeast, was hit with yet another snow storm. This storm brought as much as 5 inches of snow to the area. This storm impacted work at UT Commons. We are starting to see warmer weather so our hopes are up that Mother Nature will play nice in the coming weeks. Updates on progress follow:

The snowstorm that belted the southeast last week was also felt in Knoxville. Fortunately, the city was more prepared than most. Salt trucks were out early, so it was more of an inconvenience than a grid lock. People leaving our pre-construction meetings and returning to offices in the Atlanta area were trapped roadside (or in hotels, for the lucky ones) for as long as 24 hours. Onsite, the cold weather continues to be an impact to our pace but progress was made in the following area:

Northern Retail Center

Brickwork was completed on the north side of the building

Atrium framing and sheathing was completed, dampproofing applied and masons moved in to start brickwork

Interior walk-in coolers were erected

Cleaning and application of floor polish materials were applied when temperatures allowed

Sheetrock finishing moved forward

Fire sprinkler piping was complete and air tested due to temperatures

Permanent overhead light fixture installation nears completion

Secondary wires were pulled from switchgear to transformer. Our goal is to have permanent power by mid-February